django49 Posted January 26 Posted January 26 (edited) Introduced at NAMM. I can see a place for this. Tube driven preamp with rev and trem and 2 attenuators, stereo operation. Price not announced but hinted it might be $599. Add that Thermion Zero stereo pedalboard AMP that was mentioned nearby recently and it could make a relatively small and portable board. (Of course, selecting between 2 preamps, like this and the Custom Tones CFD would be even more versatile......) ETA.....Apparently has a built in "zero watt power amp" to provide a more "tube like" performance...... Seems to be in the same mindset as the Friedman IR-D that does something similar based upon the JTM45, I think. I would imagine I will give it a tryout.....Will connect to a shop built stereo cab. Edited January 26 by django49 3 1 Quote
Saul Goodman Posted January 26 Posted January 26 2 hours ago, django49 said: I would imagine I will give it a tryout.....Will connect to a shop built stereo cab. Very cool. Let us know when you try it out and then let me know when you want to sell it. 3 Quote
LucSulla Posted January 27 Posted January 27 24 minutes ago, Disturber said: Not more gain than that? Yeah, that seemed like a bit of a miss. 1 Quote
soli'd Posted January 27 Posted January 27 On 1/26/2025 at 1:32 PM, django49 said: Add that Thermion Zero stereo pedalboard AMP that was mentioned nearby recently and it could make a relatively small and portable board. This is on my doorstep as I write this, will know whether it's a viable platform shortly. 2 Quote
django49 Posted January 28 Author Posted January 28 My semi-uneducated guess......The Imperial model was developed to recreate, more or less, the tones of vintage Fender Deluxe models, lets say blackface on the clean side, tweed on the lead side. As such. I reckon it would make a good pedal platform much more so than THE basic tones for higher gain playing. But maybe there is a bit of a path....Was not the original Marshall platform developed from the Tweed Bassman? (I lean toward the JTM45 for my preferred M tones, so maybe I am "biased"). Perhaps they will follow with a tune preamp model based upon the Tone King Royalist amp. which more directly aims at "all those great M tones". Which might make that the one to hope for if a person is so inclined. I suspect I will end up cobbling together a smallish stereo/amp pedal board with TWO preamp pedals, one likely this Tone King version, the other likely either an Ethos CFD or Effectrode Blackbird for reaching higher gain tones. (Or substitute your fave MIAB for the second). With the versatile CFD in particular (F, M and D tones), the end result could effectively be about a 6 channel preamp/presets rig with the HRM circuit included. Will great tones make up for my lack of ability? My like for the Custom Tone product is hard to hide......😏 Still somewhat speculative until, maybe, May of this year.... 1 Quote
soli'd Posted January 28 Posted January 28 @django49 have you tried any of the Custom Tones power amps that pair with the Ethos line? I know there's a 30W amp in the OG footprint of the big Ethos, and a smaller version... Looks pretty basic with fixed output and my goal is eventually stereo output to two cabs, so likely not a solution for me but I've always wondered about them, and the powered Ethos Amp. The Thermion Zero really should meet all the requirements. I purchased a used one from Reverb and received it last night. Just played thru headphones with a stereo delay in the loop. The internal preamp sounded surprisingly good, very convincing blackface Fender combo sound. It is dead quiet in the background. Switched on the loop- ahh very nice stereo imaging in the headphones. Switched on the reverb- wow- very pro-sounding digital reverb in a huge stereo field. I tried going thru the small, medium, and XL reverb settings, all useable. Switched back to to the XL, no reverb. Switched to small, then to medium again- no reverb. I turned it off for a few minutes and powered it back up, reverb was back. Left it for an hour or so, came back and there was no output at all. I didn't have anything in the preamp loop, but the internal pre was not passing signal. Faint electrical smell... Weirdly, the signal would come back, but only if the FX loop was on. I clicked on the reverb, and was blasted with digital white noise. So bummed- never even hooked it up to cabs, but I'm glad I didn't send that reverb blast thru speakers. It is an incredibly pro-feeling product. Thick steel enclosure, very robust jacks, no play in the knobs. Unfortunately it's going back to the seller- I suppose the deal I got on it was too good to be true. 1 Quote
django49 Posted January 28 Author Posted January 28 (edited) Sorry to hear the Zero turned out to be just that....Sounds like it COULD be a good solution. Re the Custom Tones digital amps, I have used both versions and they def do work well. I have used them to play out, making an easy in/out just toting in a light 1 x 12. Small, light and sized so you can stack their pedal on top on your board. It has 30 watts (solid state) and seems to have roughly the volume of a Deluxe Reverb. As you say, simple---Nothing more than an in/out power amp. I HAVE experimented with using a pair for a stereo output. But, here is why I would not recommend it...... Looks like they are now $250 EACH (plus shipping). A bit less of a premium to the preamp pedal itself if you order one built in. Big BUT.....It requires an outboard power supply (aka BRICK). Which means you'd need a pair for stereo. Complicates things if you are wanting a portable board.......I DID mention an interest in a stereo version to Robbie. He seemed to like the idea, but was not indicating that was on his to do list. So, I DID get the Duncan Stereo Power Stage.....A single unit, albeit larger. 100 watts per channel. Built in power supply, so only ONE power cord to plug in. Has a preamp section that is bypassable. It works for what I need. IIRC, I got a 15 % off deal, so in the ballpark with buying 2 Ethos amps with better usability, at least for me. With some added versatility. https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/powerstage-100-stereo On paper at least the Thermion seems to have some advantages, including being usable with reverb without a separate preamp pedal and a bypass to footswitch in a separate preamp. More or less in the Deluxe Reverb realm. That is, IF it works! Reliability of Thermion gear was not discussed in the various reviews (which quite likely were PAID reviews). BTW, I repeat that the Ethos CFD is a great and versatile piece of kit. Big improvements over the original which had been a key part of the tone I wanted for years. I have NOT tried the AMP version, but there is no reason to think it is not as good as using it with the separate Ethos power amp....Better in the sense of smaller (though taller) footprint. (The Blackbird kinda gets you to the same place using actual tubes on your pedalboard, with much less tweakability), Hope that helps.....Good luck! Edited January 28 by django49 1 Quote
django49 Posted February 2 Author Posted February 2 (edited) BTW, since the Ethos line was brought up.....Robbie seems to be on a tear. Something new to drop "soon." I may be wrong, but think he is dabbling in a few other new gadgets too. Two speeds, two modes......And it makes sense to have the vtrim to compensate for natural volume loss when trem kicks in (cutting part of the signal).... Edited February 4 by django49 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.